If you ever find yourself in the French city of Toulouse, you might just see one of the oddest-looking aircraft in the world.

Popularly known as the “Beluga,” because of its strong resemblance to the white Arctic whale, the Airbus A300-600ST (ST stands for Super Transporter) is unique not only in appearance, but also for the essential role it performs in European aviation. Airbus’ production centers are scattered all over the continent, a legacy of its origins as a pan-European consortium. Each factory specializes in the completion of a specific section of an aircraft.

The five Belugas, all operated by Airbus, link these plants and take the different aircraft sections to the final assembly line, either in Toulouse or Hamburg.